More and more SAK's.

[cbl51]

I've always loved knives, all kinds of knives. Ever since I was a kid I accumulated all kinds of pocket knives. SAK's were some of the first I got, with an old style huntsman with the clip pen blade and old style shackle in high school. Buck knives, Case knives, all were in my pockets at one time or another, as well as stuff from overseas like Mercator K55 and Opinels.

But more and more of late, I seem to go with just SAK's. I mean, I love my knives, but as I look at stuff more pragmatically as I get older, the practicality of the SAK seems to win over me. I find I rarely carry any other knife now, except for a SAK of some type. After all, a SAK is not just a pocket knife, but a bunch of options for those little problems in life that pop up now  and then. With a SAK in my pocket, it feel more able to deal with life day to day than with a lock blade Buck, a Case stockman, or even one of my beloved Opinels.

I've got heavier duty stuff for camping, like nice sturdy fixed blades, but for the day to day living, and just one pocket knife in my pants, a SAK seems to make more sense than anything else. It seems like I am loosing my interest in those other knives, and if I go to just a SAK to own, I'm okay with that.

[Lynn LeFey]

I have seen a repeated mantra of folks into EDC, that one MUST have a dedicated knife. I don't agree with this at all. The blade on any SAK is up to any task I'll throw at it on a given day. The two blades on a 91mm SAK are up to virtually any cutting task I could think of. I'm pretty sure I could take a deer apart with one, if need be.

My general experience is that the size of blade most folks carry is partly a function of their age. The older they get, the smaller the blade becomes. As years roll by, they get tired of hefting the weight, until they decrease down to a pocket knife blade size that they find optimal. This is, of course, dependant on what someone intends to do, and most folks who expect to need to do wildernass stuff, dress game, or fish will (wisely) take a more dedicated and appropriate tool.

For every day use, it's REALLY hard to beat a SAK's combination of utility, low weight, and corrosion resistance. The 91mm models with a few layers are not much heavier or bulkier than most any pocket knife, and the usefulness is a great deal higher. Having a blade is nice. It's useful. Having a small selection of tools is much better, IMO.

[Nhoj]

Well, I can't really beat Lynn's post. Swiss army knives are truly great with look and function. Even when you think one is perfect, another catches your eye. After so much history, they seem to have been perfected until there is some innovation you didn't expect. Keep on loving saks!

[nuphoria]

I like having a dedicated knife, but I certainly wouldn't choose one over a SAK.

They are brilliant tools. Excellent QC, many options for everyone's needs and budget, and iconic to boot

I have plenty of other knives too, but usually end up with a SAK on me!

[cbl51]

I have seen a repeated mantra of folks into EDC, that one MUST have a dedicated knife. I don't agree with this at all. The blade on any SAK is up to any task I'll throw at it on a given day. The two blades on a 91mm SAK are up to virtually any cutting task I could think of. I'm pretty sure I could take a deer apart with one, if need be.

My general experience is that the size of blade most folks carry is partly a function of their age. The older they get, the smaller the blade becomes. As years roll by, they get tired of hefting the weight, until they decrease down to a pocket knife blade size that they find optimal. This is, of course, dependant on what someone intends to do, and most folks who expect to need to do wildernass stuff, dress game, or fish will (wisely) take a more dedicated and appropriate tool.

For every day use, it's REALLY hard to beat a SAK's combination of utility, low weight, and corrosion resistance. The 91mm models with a few layers are not much heavier or bulkier than most any pocket knife, and the usefulness is a great deal higher. Having a blade is nice. It's useful. Having a small selection of tools is much better, IMO.

Maybe that's where I've come to in my life- tired of lugging aorund anything I don't actually need and/or use on a daily basis. Certaily the size of my knife has drastically been downsized in my life. I used to carry a heavy 7 inch fixe blade for my woods knife, and a Buck 110 folding hunter when I was a young guy full of vinegar. But then I gradually kept turning to smaller and lighter weight gear as I got older. By the time I was 50, I was down to SAK's and Mora's.

But I fear dear Lynn, that you have made an error. The 91 mm SAK is actually lighter than a good many pocket knives of similar size. I was sitting in my kitchen not too long ago, weighting my edc knives. I know, that's getting a bit OCD, but I can't help it, I'm curious.
as a rule, the Victorinox seems to be actually lighter than a good many smaller traditonal pocket knives by Case and Buck and GEC. A tiny Case peanut is as heavier than a Victorinox recruit that is not only larger, with two knife blades, but packs two screw drivers with cap and can openers. A Vic tinker is a bit lighter than a Buck stockman or Case trapper. Somehow, Victorinox seems to pack more tools and knife blades in a similar size package than most dedicated knives. And yes, there's no problem taking a deer apart with a SAK.

The more basic SAK's like I tend to carry, like recruits and bantams, have no equal in size and weight vs real world capability. But you are right of course, I really don't see why I should carry a dedicated knife, unless it is a very light weight one that will go un-noticed in a pack. An Opinel number 8 is only a few ounces, but I question if I even need that. After all, what can it handle that my recruit can't?

I feel my friends and neighbors will be getting some knives given away. Nothing from Switzerland, of course.

[Singh]

You MUST have a fixed knife for EDC? Yeah, if I was walking out in the woods everyday or if my EDC situation was straight out of "I am Legend". 

Most of my tasks needing tools take place at home, and I have dedicated tools at home for that.  And power tools to boot.

Outside of the house, my need for tools are for the occasional light-to-medium duty task. With that in mind, I don't really see a need to lug around a multitool on my belt anymore, and haven't for quite some time.

I agree with Lynn LeFey. The size-to-utility ratio of a SAK can't be beat. Gimme a SAK and a small flashlight, and 99% of my EDC tasks can be met.

[Lynn LeFey]

But I fear dear Lynn, that you have made an error. The 91 mm SAK is actually lighter than a good many pocket knives of similar size.

Maybe I wasn't clear. When I said 'The 91mm models with a few layers are not much heavier or bulkier than most any pocket knife', What was meant was you CAN find dedicated knives that weigh less than a SAK, such as most Spyderco knives, which are very light indeed. But even then, you're talking about a small weight savings. It was never my intent to say that there aren't dedicated pocket knives that are a good deal heavier.

Hope that clarifies.

[Zed]

I'm like this as I love my Opinels and carry one as a legal option with a bladeless ppp but since getting the swisschamp I just feel it's enough,tonight will be my tinker on a night shift and tinker in my backpack, i can see my champ being a long time companion 

[jerseydevil]

No matter what else I may be carrying , I have a SAK of one model or another on me at all times.    At work I do tend to go with a dedicated knife for box duty, etc., but the SAK sees the majority of tool use throughout the day.  Plier-based tools are useful as heck and there are times that I'm glad I have one nearby, the the fact of the matter is I may go weeks at a time without needing to use the one I'm carrying.  A SAK, on the other hand, gets used a dozen times a day.  In fact this morning, I used my Hercules to tighten the handle on a frying pan and open a can of hash. 

[JRB65]

... and open a can of hash. 

This sounds funny for a Dutchman, even though I understand what you mean

[PTRSAK]

For me, the big plus of carrying a SAK is the higher degree of acceptance from the sheeple.
I mean flip open a 4" bladed linerlock "Tactical" folder in the lunchroom to cut up your apple and it's all 
The noise it makes might as well be a pump action shotgun or the slide dropping on a 45.

But produce a 2 hand open little red SAK and they are more likely to make some comment about having had one themselves when they were a kid or that it's like the knife MacGyver used.

Even the constabulary here are (slightly) less likely to make an issue about the red knife than the Silver one in the pic below and they're both technically illegal to carry. (a few years ago the S&W did get its share of EDC duty but nor any more)

[k12cop]

You must live in a fascist state if the SAK is illegal to carry...even the UK allows non-locking SAK, and I believe Australia mentions "swiss army type knife" specifically in their law as being ok to carry for utilitarian purposes...

Where are you located, so I never move there...

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

[PTRSAK]

it's covered by the newly amended Weapons Act which is a nicely compiled piece of legalese that is rubbery enough to mean that almost anything can be considered a weapon IF they want it to be.

An example is the definition of a knife. It goes something like this...
A pointed or bladed object that can be held in the hand or hands and used to cause injury or threaten to cause injury by cutting or stabbing.
Now, that definition is so loose that a surfboard could be classed as a knife.

another stupid one is that "Any object designed to provide restraint or any object that could be used to provide restraint" is classed as a catagory R weapon. This is supposed to cover handcuffs, but it is so vague that it would include 2 zip-ties as well. or for that matter a 1m length of paracord.

[dks]

The way I see it is that if I break the blade of a SAK then the whole tool is damaged, so I lose a lot of tools.
If I damage a knife then I only lose a knife

This is not a cost/value issue; just my way of thinking thus I rarely use my SAK blades.

I generally carry a single or multiblade knife anyway, generally bought new.

The SAKs I carry are usually used.

[cbl51]

The way I see it is that if I break the blade of a SAK then the whole tool is damaged, so I lose a lot of tools.
If I damage a knife then I only lose a knife

This is not a cost/value issue; just my way of thinking thus I rarely use my SAK blades.

I generally carry a single or multiblade knife anyway, generally bought new.

The SAKs I carry are usually used.

I used to have thoughts like that, but then I started thinking. I have two screw driver blades that make way better pry tools than a blade, and a SAK is a pocket knife, so if it's that heavy a job, I'm using a fixed blade or a hatchet. Used as a pocketknife, I cant figure how I'd break a blade, and if I somehow managed, then I send it back to Victorinox to have it fixed or replaced. Maybe over 20 or 30 years, I may wear down a blade, but I have so many in rotation I doubt it. Vic blades are pretty rugged.

[dks]

The way I see it is that if I break the blade of a SAK then the whole tool is damaged, so I lose a lot of tools.
If I damage a knife then I only lose a knife

This is not a cost/value issue; just my way of thinking thus I rarely use my SAK blades.

I generally carry a single or multiblade knife anyway, generally bought new.

The SAKs I carry are usually used.

I used to have thoughts like that, but then I started thinking. I have two screw driver blades that make way better pry tools than a blade, and a SAK is a pocket knife, so if it's that heavy a job, I'm using a fixed blade or a hatchet. Used as a pocketknife, I cant figure how I'd break a blade, and if I somehow managed, then I send it back to Victorinox to have it fixed or replaced. Maybe over 20 or 30 years, I may wear down a blade, but I have so many in rotation I doubt it. Vic blades are pretty rugged.

I agree, I am just nuts, in a way.

I have plenty of SAKs and regularly use a LM Flair and some expensive knives for stupid tasks... but I would be more annoyed at damaging a 10Euro SAK than a significantly more dear knife.

[82brutus]

... and open a can of hash. 

This sounds funny for a Dutchman, even though I understand what you mean

I like to open the occasional can of whoop hash.   

that was corny, I know. 

[NAB]

[/quote]
 Used as a pocketknife, I cant figure how I'd break a blade,
[/quote]

You have obviously never been attacked by a rogue cinder block or car hood that was threatening your family.

[twiliter]

... and open a can of hash. 

This sounds funny for a Dutchman, even though I understand what you mean

I like to open the occasional can of whoop hash.   


that was corny, I know. 

Pretty sure whoop hash is opened with one's teeth (traditionally speaking of course!)